Teaching Myself to Braid

I have been teaching myself to braid Micah’s hair.  We have about a month before his first haircut, and managing his hair is a job.  Leaving it all out in an afro requires daily (usually multiple times a day) combing to keep it from becoming tangled and a matted down mess.  Catching it in lots of pigtails works.  It is time consuming and usually takes quite a bit of time to complete.  Micah tends to fight having his hair done, even when he’s asleep, but especially when he is awake.  Braiding is much the same.  We fight, we take a break – wash, rinse, repeat.  The difference between pigtails and braids, however, is other people’s perception of Micah as a girl (pigtails) or as a boy (braids).

Most people see his sweet, chubby face, regardless of what he’s wearing, and call him a beautiful baby girl.  Sometimes I laugh and correct them.  Sometimes, I find myself becoming annoyed.  I know that most people just see a cute baby, and try to offer a compliment.  I also know that most people don’t pay attention to details, and just call him whatever comes to mind first.  Learning to braid now will be good practice for if we someday have a baby girl.